Time to hit the brakes

WORKING in the media can be equal parts fulfilling and dispiriting.

Fulfilling to be able to shine a light on societal problems to effect positive change, but it can also be incredibly dispiriting when serious issues are not addressed and constantly raise their ugly head.

Such is the case of our region’s problem with international drivers who are hitting some of our busiest tourist roads without adequate knowledge or experience.

The poor on-road behaviour of such drivers has been documented time and time again in our news pages in recent years. There have been warnings, crashes and even deaths, yet still the problem remains.

Last week a Chinese national faced court over the death of a local on Boxing Day in 2017. This weekend, yet another international driver was nabbed driving dangerously on our roads — this time reaching speeds of 160km/h in a Mustang.

The timing of these instances coincided with a community meeting in Apollo Bay to tackle this ongoing issue which has locals both frustrated and frightened. There, bus driver Jackie told horror stories about the multiple accidents and near misses she sees every journey when travelling from Geelong to Apollo Bay. She likened the experience to a daily dose of Russian roulette.

If this reflects the experience of just one regular Great Ocean Rd driver, imagine the dangers faced daily by locals.

But by far the most frustrating aspect of the international drivers issue is that experts have been issuing warnings about the potential dangers for more than 20 years.

Recommendations from a 1999 report into the issue still haven’t been implemented, despite the many accidents and deaths that have occurred during that time.

Our coastal communities have had enough of taking their lives in their hands every time they share the road with an illprepared international driver. And it’s time that stories about the issue were eradicated from our news pages forever.